Question

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excerpt from is it a crime for a u.s. citizen to vote? by susan b. anthony delivered in monroe county, ny, 1873 friends and fellow - citizens: i stand before you to - night, under indictment for the alleged crime of having voted at the last presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote. it shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, i not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizens right, guaranteed to me and all united states citizens by the national constitution, beyond the power of any state to deny. our democratic - republican government is based on the idea of the natural right of every individual member thereof to a voice and a vote in making and executing the laws. we assert the province of government to be to secure the people in the enjoyment of their unalienable rights. we throw to the winds the old dogma that governments can give rights. before governments were organized, no one denies that each individual possessed the right to protect his own life, liberty, and property. and when 100 or 1,000,000 people enter into a free government, they do not barter away their natural rights; they simply pledge themselves to protect each other in the enjoyment of them, through prescribed judicial and legislative tribunals. they agree to abandon the methods of brute force in the adjustment of their differences, and adopt those of civilization. nor can you find a word in any of the grand documents left us by the fathers that assumes for government the power to create or to confer rights. the declaration of independence, the united states constitution, the constitutions of the several states and the organic how does anthony achieve her purpose of advocating for womens suffrage in her speech? she entertains her audience with interesting quotes and anecdotes. she calls for more women to risk punishment by taking part in the voting process. she uses logic to explain why womens suffrage should not actually be illegal. she calls on government to dismiss her indictment after she voted illegally.

Explanation:

In her speech, Anthony uses logical arguments. She refers to the principles of the democratic - republican government (natural rights of individuals, the purpose of government to secure rights). She also mentions the Constitution, stating that women's voting (suffrage) is their citizen's right guaranteed by the National Constitution. This logical reasoning shows that women's suffrage is a right, not a crime.

• The first option about entertaining with quotes and anecdotes is not the main way as the speech is more argumentative.
• The second option of calling for women to risk punishment is not the main approach; the focus is on the rightness of the act.
• The fourth option of calling on the government to dismiss her indictment is a minor part compared to the logical argument for women's suffrage.

Answer:

She uses logic to explain why women's suffrage should not actually be illegal.